Impact of drugs extends beyond reputation

May 29, 2010|By Jeffrey Kutcher Saturday Columnist

At some point in his career, Floyd Landis decided to cheat.

The reason isn’t a mystery, nor is his decision a rare one in the sport of professional cycling. Other pro cyclists have described coming to the point in their career where the sport will leave them behind unless they do something to bolster their physiology.

After four years of adamant denials, Landis decided to come clean and admit to four years of using performance enhancing drugs, including synthetic testosterone, human growth hormone (HGH) and erythropoietin (EPO).

He used performance enhancing drugs in every Tour de France he entered, including in 2006 when he finished first, a title that was later stripped for a positive drug test.

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Attached to his admissions, he also implicated many of his fellow riders, including Lance Armstrong, race administrators and governing body officials as either having taken these substances or fostering a culture that would allow the practice to happen without retribution.

In my opinion, no one can make the conscious decision to cheat without losing a little moral capital, the amount of which depends on the person. In each case, however, it is easier for the offender when they look around and see that cheating is commonplace.

Rules or no rules, if “everybody does it” is it really unfair?

The next part of the story is as predictable as a VH1 “Behind the Music” episode. After their gold medals, Tour victories or home-run records, the athlete that gets caught eventually “sees the light” and admits their guilt, much like Landis, José Conseco or Marion Jones.

Sometimes, they go on to try to help their sport become drug-free. Sometimes, as in the case with Landis, they lash out at anybody and everybody in an attempt at retribution or to dilute their own guilt.

In any case, the simple narrative becomes: Any athlete that cheats may sacrifice some self dignity, but only those that are caught will face any legal hurdles or trials in the court of public opinion.

The problem is that the possible negative outcomes in this narrative aren’t enough to prevent legions of athletes from using performance enhancing drugs every day. From professional athletes to high school kids, or even younger, the drive to succeed wins the day.

What I find interesting is that the negative health effects of these drugs are, more often than not, left out of the conversation.

These substances are used because they enhance some aspect of physical performance. What we need to talk more about in the media, in our schools and at home are some of the other consequences of using them.

While the social and legal implications of getting caught are less tangible because of the chances of escaping detection, the negative health effects are a given. We need to emphasize to our young athletes that while they may not get caught by sporting officials or the legal system, their bodies will always know what they’re ingesting.

If you use HGH, you may experience a quicker recovery from injury or an intense workout, but you also risk damaging your heart, liver and thyroid, possibly leading to premature death, all while retaining excess water and growing excessive body hair.

You may want to use synthetic testosterone to promote muscle growth, but please prepare yourself for hair loss, infertility, liver tumors and psychiatric disorders, as well as enlarged breasts in males.

How often are these effects on the human body considered by athletes who are looking for a competitive edge? Not very often, I’d guess.

Why not?

The information is out there and it’s not hard to find. Perhaps they don’t want to know. Or perhaps we haven’t done a very good job of emphasizing this aspect of the problem.

When the next big-name athlete gets caught, turn to the athletes in your life, especially the young ones, and pass along the part of the story that will likely be absent from the headlines.

Give them something more to think about.

Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher is a graduate of Petoskey High School (1985), sports neurologist at the University of Michigan, director of Michigan NeuroSport and chair of the Sports Neurology section of the American Academy of Neurology. Learn more at: www.med.umich.edu/neurosport.